Sunday, May 24, 2009

Defending Baucus: Washington Post Censors Itself

Today's political puff piece in the Washington Post on Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus tells us that his approach to health reform "has been to pull together stakeholders and hold them as long as possible; no idea is ruled out, no policy change dismissed. His mantra is always the same: "Suspend judgment, if only for a nanosecond."

In case we were wondering about editorial bias at the Post, they ignored their own (already slanted) reporting on Baucus' notorious refusal to entertain any discussion of single payer at his hearings, including the infamous arrest of single payer advocates. Surely a decision that will haunt his political future, with unknown consequences for the future of health reform.

Here's how the Post called it at the time:

Police eject protesters from Senate health hearingThe Associated Press Tuesday, May 12, 2009; 10:53 AMWASHINGTON -- Police have ejected five doctors and nurses who back government-run health care after they disrupted a Senate hearing. Dozens of others protested outside.The protesters says supporters of government-run health care are being excluded from congressional debate. The Senate Finance Committee met Tuesday to debate how to pay for overhauling the nation's health care system.At the start of the hearing more than a dozen nurses stood in silent protest and turned their backs on Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus as he spoke. They had signs attached to the back of their shirts supporting single-payer _ or government-run _ health care and protesting industry influence.After they left, five others stood up, spoke in favor of single-payer, and were taken out by Capitol Police.